Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering September 26 to October 1, was compiled with support from Rebecca Turkington and Ao Yin.

Women are routinely underrepresented in peacekeeping operations, even though their participation has been shown to improve mission effectiveness and advance stability. The U.S. government should support a UN premium for police- and troop-contributing countries to increase the training and deployment of female peacekeepers.

Women are routinely underrepresented in peacekeeping operations, even though their participation has been shown to improve mission effectiveness and advance stability. The U.S. government should support a UN premium for police- and troop-contributing countries to increase the training and deployment of female peacekeepers.

While recurrent armed conflicts, expanded extremist networks, and record levels of displacement remain defining features of global security, standard peacemaking methods continue to overlook a proven strategy to reduce conflict and advance stability: the inclusion of women.

Announcements of overlapping, temporary cease-fires by the Afghan government, U.S.-led NATO forces, and the Taliban are hopeful signs that there is still room to move toward a political dialogue to end the conflict.

Trudeau’s pledged UN peacekeeping contributions are an important step toward fulfilling his foreign policy promises, but if he is serious about renewing Canada’s leadership in peacekeeping, it is not enough.

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post, covering March 23 to March 30, was compiled with support from Anne Connell and Rebecca Hughes.

With the passage of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017, the United States is now required by law to improve women's participation in peace and security processes, including in efforts to reduce radicalization and violent extremism.